The Best Cold Weather Moisturizers for Every Skin Type

Your wool-blends and knits aren't the only items that should be getting heavier with the colder months. Your face moisturizers, too, should be thickening up to protect and quench your skin against the elements. Here, we tapped the industry's top skin experts to reveal what key products and ingredients every skin type should layer on during autumn and winter.

Normal Skin

Normal Skin

When it comes to hydrators for normal skin, beef up your formula with the cream of the crop. "Products with a cream base tend to moisturize better in colder weather than lotions, and normal skin will be able to tolerate them without becoming oily," says dermatologist Kavita Mariwalla, MD, who also advised steering clear of gels that may be too drying and ointments that may be too heavy. Instead, for day, Mariwalla suggests a cream with vitamin C "to help manage antioxidant damage," while dermatologist Paul Jarrod Frank, MD, stresses the importance of SPF. "Regardless of the temperature, you should always look for a product with SPF 30 or above for the day," he said. A good one to try? Peter Thomas Roth CC Cream Broad Spectrum SPF 30 Complexion Corrector, which is riddled with camu camu, an Amazonian fruit that boasts 30 times the vitamin C of an average orange.

As for night, Mariwalla advises using a more concentrated cream for deep hydration, like Eve Lom TLC Cream, or an anti-aging formula. "Winter is a great time to manage the damage from the summer, so it's the ideal season to start that retinoid or retinol regimen," she says, recommending La Roche-Posay Redermic [R] for its potent level of pure retinol. We also love Kate Somerville RetAsphere 2-in-1 Retinol Night Cream that features a "smart release" technology, which penetrates the ingredient deep into the skin.

Dry Skin

Dry Skin

For those with particularly parched skin, Dr. Frank suggests a healing ointment such as Aquaphor to boost the face with "an extra layer of protection against the elements." Otherwise, he recommends a rich oil-based cream for everyday. "The greater the oil content, the better absorption through the skin barriers to hydrate the tissue," he explains. Dr. Frank's top pick for night: Clinique Youth Surge Night Age Decelerating Night Moisturizer, which contains jojoba oil. "This moisturizer supports the nightly cycle of natural repair and boosts natural collagen production," he says.

Meanwhile, Renée Rouleau, celebrity esthetician and founder of her namesake Dallas spa and skincare line, advises looking for a moisturizing sunscreen with heavy-duty shea butter or sunflower seed oil for daytime, which repairs the skin's moisture barrier. L'Occitane Shea Protective Cream SPF 20 with shea butter and Alba Botanica Very Emollient Sunscreen Broad Spectrum SPF 30 with sunflower seed oil are good ones to try. And for night, Rouleau recommends an illuminating cream with lipid-rich oils for the sapped set. "Since dry skin can appear dull and lackluster, it's not just about making the skin 'feel' moist but actually repairing the skin so it is truly moist with long-term hydration, which results in a youthful, radiant glow," she explained, prescribing her own Glow Enhancing Cream. Eve Lom TLC Radiance Cream is also brimming with Arctic raspberry seed oil and rosehip seed oil for saturated and luminous skin.